Slide for buckles or clasps



R. KING.

SLIDE FOR BUCKLES 0R CLASPS. APPLICATION F |LED MAR. 25. 1918.

TEF'I 4 A) INVENTOR I M Y 7g7/M% TTO RNET Patented J an. 27, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUFUS KING, OF PLAINVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BUGBEE AND NILES GOMPANY,'OF NORTH ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS'.

SLIDEFOR BUCKLES OR GLASPS.

' Application filed March 25, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUFUS KING, a'citizen of the United States, residing at Plainville, in the county of Norfolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Slides for Buckles-0r Clasps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improved slide for use with buckles or Clasps employed for securing together straps or hands of webbing attached to wrist-watches. The object ofmy improvement is to providea slide .for this purpose which,while beingadjustable longitudinally of the strap or webbing, is at the same time 2 adapted 'to 'frictionally grip the latter to hold it securely against unwarranted movement thereon. Another and mostimportant object of the improvement is to provide a slide which may be readily and easily slipped on over any portion of the strap or band whereby to render it more convenient for application or removal.

The'manner and means for carrying out these improvements are fully described in the following specification, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts. In the drawings Figure 1 is a viewshowing my improved slide applied to a band or strap of webbing wlaich has the usual buckle or clasp at its en v Fig. 2, a plan view of-theslide showing the manner of inserting the strap through the opening in its end, whereby the latter may be passed .over and under the crossbars; r

Fig. 3, a similar viewshowing the strap or band entered in the slide to a slightly farther extent; V

'Fig. 4,.a side view showingrthe'strap being entered in the slide as illustrated in Fig. .2;

Fig. 5, an end view 'of the slide with the strap "shown in the same relation;

' Fig, '6, an end view corresponding to Fig. 5- 5 a,

i7, "an'end view of the slideshowing the strap in section to illustrate-the manner in which it is ,gripped by the end bars of the slide.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 27, .1920.

Serial No. 224,404.

My improved device is intended for use particularly with therelatively thick, heavy khaki straps worn by sailors and soldiers forwattaching watches to their wrists. It is also adapted, however, for use with leather straps and with ribbons for ladies watches. Referring to Fig. 1, B designatesa strap of knitted, netted or woven fabric which is looped through an opening in a buckle or clasp-member C; and S is the slide which embraces the sides of the strap or band B and is adjustable longitudinally thereof. Asshown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 3, the slide Scomorises a substantially flat plate of rectangular outline having sidemembers 8, .9 connected by a central crossbar 2. Extending at right-angles to the side-members s, s are end-bars 3, 3 arranged in parallel. spaced relation with the central cross-bars 2. It is tobe noted that the bars 3, 3 are not continuous clearacross'tihe slide but are interrupted or cut away at the center to provide openings 4, 4 between their inner ends. The opposed extremities of the bars or arms 3, 8 are preferably rounded and bent or curled upwardly at 5, 5, see Figs. 5 to 7.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the central cross-bar 2 is raised slightly above the plane of the side-members s, s and the end-bars 3, 8 so that the strap or band B can pass beneath it, see also Fig. 1. Projecting upwardly from the bar 2 are two studs or posts 6 having spherical ends 7 adapted to snap into suitable openings 8 in the buckle or clasp-member C. Theopenings 8 are formed in the under plate 0 of the clasp C which is constructed with suitable slits 9 to provide for the expansion of the sides of the openings as they snap over the balls 7 on the studs 6. \Vhile I have herein shown and described a preferred form of clasp-member C,.this element forms no'part of the present invention, but is illustrated to show its method of cooperation with the slide-member S.

Hereto'fore, with this type of clasp or buckle, the slide Sha's usually been provided with three uninterrupted cross-bars for embracing the sides of the strap or band 13.

Unlike the present improved device, however, the crossbars or end-members of the slide have been made continuous so that in applying the strap to place it is necessary to thread its end through the slits between the cross-bars. This required the placing of the slide on the strap before the ends of the latter were doubled over and sewed together to provide the loops by which the buckle is fastened at one end and the watch at the other. One object of the present improvement is to provide a slide which can he slipped on over any portion of the strap or band B after the latter has been looped over at its ends, and the manner of accomplishing this purpose will now be explained. The method of applying my improved slide to use is shown particularly in the enlarged views, Figs. 2 to 7, and is as follows: In attaching the slide to the strap or band B the edges of the latter are pinched together between the fingers and entered through one of the openings 4t between the ends of the bars 3, 3. By pulling the strap upwardly as illustrated in Fig. 3, its marginal edges will thenbe spread outwardly to slide into place to fill the slit 10, see Figs. 5 and 6. In Figs. 2 to 4-. one side of the strap B is shown as having been entered in the slit 11 of the slide S, and after it has been pulled up through the opening 4 at the other end of the slide, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, it is drawn taut to spread it out to its full width as shown in Fig.1. When in place, the strap B passes over the two bars 3, 3 at one end of the slide, beneath the central crossbar 2, and up over the bars 3, 3 at the opposite end. Referring now to Fig. 7, when the strap B lies in this position the upturned ends 5, 50f the cross-bars 3, 3 will indent into its under surface and provide a gripping action which tends to prevent unwarranted movement of the slide on the strap. To allow the slide S to he slid along the strap, to adjust it in position thereon, it is only necessar to loosen the strap so that it will be free from the upturned edges 5, 5 of the end-bars 3, 3. When the tension on the strap is released in this manner the slide can be moved freely along its length, but as soon as the strap is drawn taut again it will automatically bind against the relatively sharp edges of the end-bars 3, 3 to cause the latter to frictionally grip its surface to prevent unwarranted movement.

I am aware that it is old in the art to provide a slide for buckles and clasps constructed with cross-bars over and under which the'strap or band passes to hold the slide in place thereon. As before explained, however, wlth thls known type of sllde 1t. is

necessary to thread the strap through the relatively narrow slits or openings between the cross-bars, and with bulky material, such as textile fabrics, this has been found to be a diflicult and awkward operation. That is to say, it is not easy to insert the ends of the strap through the slits, particularly when the ends have been doubled over to form the loops. With my present improved arrangement, the slide can be applied to any portion of the strap after the ends of the latter have between the cross-bars, these slits may bemade narrower. That is to say, the bars can be placed closer together so that they will grip the strap more securely and the whole slide is thereby made smaller and much neater in appearance. In addition to the above described feature ofeasy application of the slide to the strap I have also provided a further improvement'as regards its gripping or holding efficiency. The upturned edges of the end-bars 3, 3 provide teeth or detents which bite into the surface of the strap or band to prevent accidental or unwarranted movement of the slide when the band isdrawn taut. Through this arrangement the slide takes a much more secure grip on the strap, and after it has once been adjusted in placev on the wearers wrist it will be held snugly and preventedfrom becoming loose and slipping. V

Various slight modifications might be made in the form and construction of my device without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention; therefore, without limiting myself to the exact embodiment shown and described, what I claim is 1. An improved buckle-slide for wriststraps and bands of webbing consisting of a substantially rectangular plate having opposite side-members connected by a central cross-bar, and end-bars arranged in parallel spaced relation with the central cross-bar, both of said end-bars being cut away at the center to provide openings through which the strap may be entered by doubling its edges together in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

2. An improved slide for use with the buckles or clasps of wrist-straps consisting of a substantially flat plate-of rectangular outline having opposite side-members and three spaced-apart cross-bars extending laterally therebetween, with the two opposite end cross-bars divided at the center to provide openings throughrwhich the strap-m'ay' be entered to pass it over and under the cross-bars whereby the slide is applied thereto to adaptit for adjustment therealong.

3. An improved slide for Wrist-straps of vide openings for the insertion of the strap, Webbing consisting of a relatively flat recthe opposed extremities of the end-bars betangular plate having opposite side-meming adapted to frictionally grip the strap 10 hers with a central cross-bar extending when the latter is applied to the slide by 5 therebetween, and end-bars arranged in passing it over and under the cross-bars.

parallel spaced-relation on either side of the In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. cross-bar and cut away at the center to pro- RUFUS KING. 

